Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Rebuilding the World on Foundations of Love and Peace

This is the second installment in a 2-part post written in celebration of Remembrance Day. To view the first installment, click here.

For those of us who have known the heavy weight of war - whether we have witnessed its toll on a beloved veteran, lost a soul held dear, or outlived the fight ourselves - the message of the poppy is not felt only on Remembrance Day. It is a striking symbol of the struggle we will carry for the rest our lives, the burden of memory. The effects of battle have shaken the world time and time again, but when we rise before its shadows, we are never alone. As survivors, we stand together to prove no sacrifice was made in vain.

The Daily Telegraph recently ran an article about The Poppy Girls, a group of five young women selected by the Royal British Legion to record a song in honour of Remembrance Day. These girls sing from the heart, knowing first-hand what a life touched by war brings: each is the daughter of a father in the armed forces. Their cover of Regina Spektor's "The Call (No Need to Say Goodbye)" will be made available as a single on 10 November, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Royal British Legion's efforts to support those who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting others. To see such a beautiful offering made from such young spirits is profoundly touching, a treasure beyond words.

Each Remembrance Day offers opportunities to both reflect on the past and seek out ways to make our future as bright as can be. The greatest tribute we could offer to our veterans is to stop their numbers from growing, to forge a lasting path to peace no storm can wash away. We must strive to reach an end to such incredible suffering.

This goal can only be achieved through uniting our unique talents and energy. As an artist, my life and work are devoted to the pursuit of bringing beautiful dreams to life. Chief among these dreams is a vision of true peace, existing outside of ideals and alive within our daily actions. I made each of my Love flower sculptures, which have been sown across the globe, with the intention of creating safe spaces for dialogue beneath their enormous petals. Progress begins with conversation, and once such exchanges start, the differences that divide us pale against the feelings that bind us.

I offer our world's veterans and their families my poppy flowers as a tribute, made to show that they will never be forgotten - a global bouquet to laud those who stood, brave and humble, for their countrymen. This Remembrance Day, give thanks and show respect by using your unique gift for the greater good. With hard work and hope, may we rebuild our world upon the most stable foundations: love and peace.

In honour of Remembrance Day, Ana Tzarev's Love poppy is now on view at Canary Wharf. For more information, please visit www.lovepeaceflower.com.

I have been painting full time for 25 years.

A true ‘citizen of the world,’ Ana Tzarev’s work is edified by decades of
extensive travel. She has taken residence in bustling Asian cities,
remote African villages, and the pristine landscapes of Australia,
immersing herself in cultures and customs to translate them onto canvas.
Her paintings are borne of that same lineage that produced the
sketchbooks of great explorers—logs kept to chart unknown realms
and share the wonders they possessed. Art critic Edward Lucie-Smith
describes her relationship with her work: “Ana Tzarev is a dynamic and
visionary painter because she has a constant desire to get it all down,
to recreate what she encounters in her own visual language.”

Tzarev’s artistic sensibilities have been honed by the histories of
those she encounters: through studies of the linear, organic qualities
that comprise Japanese woodcuts and the bold and distinctive textures of
the Masai textiles, she has developed an undeniably unique style. With exuberant, frenetic swathes of paint, the artist creates
pieces that function equally as documentary of tradition and the
capturing of ephemeral, universal moments; Tzarev’s joyful approach to
art enables her to encapsulate the emotions that preserve them, exuding
the very essence of life that makes these subjects so compelling.
Renowned art critic Dr. Alexander Borovsky eloquently describes her
style: “Ana Tzarev has learned how to ‘capture’ the depictive motif very
quickly. She has developed a powerful gestural style with an energy not
unlike that of the post-impressionist era: an open color, a
three-dimensional brush stroke—or rather, a fiery haze of strokes
drifting optically in space; a triumph of the de-reflective approach,
driven towards capturing and mastering nature’s signals.”

The
appeal of Ana Tzarev’s vibrant and expressive work is apparent in the
breadth of exhibitions that have showcased her art worldwide. Her
paintings have been featured in galleries, museums, and public spaces
across Europe and Asia, including the State Russian Museum in St.
Petersburg, the Gildo Pastor Centre in Monaco, the Santralistanbul
Museum of Contemporary Art in Istanbul, Cite Internationale des Arts in
Paris, the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, and
the Museo Diocesano di Venezia Sant’ Apollonia in Venice.

2013
is slated to be a significant year for Ms. Tzarev and her art. In
January, her works premiered at the National Museum of Rome in an
exhibition entitled “The Life of Flowers”, curated by famed art
historian Marco Tonelli. A large collection of works from the artist’s
Exposed series was also selected for inclusion in Venice’s 55th
Biennale. In 2014, she is poised to debut her paintings in China at
Beijing’s Today Art Museum.

The motivating force behind Ana
Tzarev’s work is the notion that art can be utilized as a powerful tool
for progress. From 2011 to 2013, she has shown her support for youth
arts through From Ana Tzarev, With Love, a joint workshop-exhibition
encouraging creative collaboration between children in Istanbul, London,
Paris, and New York. In 2012, she premiered an ongoing global
sculptural exploration, entitled Love & Peace, which has garnered
worldwide attention and acclaim. Conceived as a conduit for conversation
among all people, the massive floral sculptures of Love & Peace
have been installed in London, Shenzhen, and New York, with plans to
place more of these flowers in cities across the world. Tzarev wishes to
foster feelings of unity and the bond of one community through art, in
all the diverse ethnic groups that comprise the Earth.